Strangers with Benefits (Siren Publishing Classic) (24 page)

DENial

As soon as he woke up in the hospital, Den’s first thought was about Sidonie and not even about the painful fact that he had been shot.

His second thought? Well, he almost freaked out when he saw the IVs that had been inserted in his hands. He hated needles and the idea of being pricked with them while he was unconscious made him a bit disgusted, not mention nauseous.

Den looked at his parents and knew they were worried. His dad wouldn’t say a thing, but that was his way. Pa was the salt of the earth, a man that ate a steak and potato almost every night for years, until his heart couldn’t take the rich butter or extra salt.

His mother was a softie. She was a quiet woman and most that knew the couple would think their father wore the pants in their family, but they would be wrong. His mom ran the home with an iron fist and brass knuckles batted in cotton so no one saw it coming.

Although, when he thought about it, Sidonie was exactly the same. She was a sweet and gentle creature, but under the adorable veneer was a spine of steel and a wit that only those closest to her would ever see.

She might be a city girl, but she had county values.

And he liked it.

He especially liked knowing she was nearby. He wasn’t surprised that she drove to see him. She was loyal. But despite all of that, she put up with his bad attitude and even talked shit back. It was nice to be able to have a woman really get him and enjoy his sense of humor.

Most women that would get him were LEOs themselves, but he didn’t like the idea of dating another officer. When he came home, he wanted to wash the day away instead of rehashing arrests or discussing the job.

“So who is Sidonie?” his mother asked and Den looked at her blankly for a moment.

“Sorry, went off there for a sec.”
Sounds like I picked up more than one thing from her.

“I saw. But I noticed she was dressed in her regular clothes, not the uniforms these girls usually wear.”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

His father’s brow furred up for a moment, but he didn’t say anything. His mother, on the other hand, clapped her wrinkled hands together.

“Really? How come I’m just hearing about her? Earl, did Dennis say anything about a girlfriend and I missed it?”

“Naw, honey. He didn’t say anything to me neither.”

His parents were usually pretty familiar with his girlfriends, as there were only a handful that were around long enough to meet them.

“It’s recent,” he muttered to let them know it wasn’t up for discussion.

There was a quick knock at the door.

“Hey. I came to check you out.” It was Anna. The woman was nice enough, but he hated being fussed over. Expect for when Sidonie did it.

For some reason, it felt okay to have her bathe him like a child. That didn’t mean he liked it. But her hands on him were more tolerable than those of anyone else.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope. None at all.” Anna winked and quickly checked each monitor and jabbed on the tablet. Then she looked at the bandages and smiled. “Looks like Sidonie got the job done. I see you’re nice and clean. She even got your ears.”

Den wanted to curse the woman out, but he grunted instead. His ears weren’t dirty to begin with.

“I see the tray is clean. She must have gotten you nice and full, huh?”

“Yeah,” he grunted.

“What’s your pain level on this chart?”

“Really?” he asked her, didn’t even try to hide the scorn he felt, and his mom tsked.

“Dennis Veera McTavish? You know better than that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked back at the nurse and smiled, a bitter baring of teeth and looked at the numbers on the childish chart. There were a series of faces all in varying frowns and he picked one in the middle to shut the nurse up. “Five.”

Anna beamed and Den knew she enjoyed his embarrassment as her grin said it all. Fuck it, she deserved the tiny victory. “Would you like to remove the catheter?”

“That would be nice.”

He would like use of his penis again, even if it hurt when they took it out, couldn’t be any worse than seeing a woman empty a bag that contained the contents of his bladder had shredded his ego.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a bit to take it out. I want to give you a chance to empty your bladder from dinner first.”

He knew it was going to hurt, but delaying the removal wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. The only reason he kept his mouth shut was the face of his mother as she looked over him with worry in her eyes.

His pa would kick his ass if he hurt his mom, and rightfully so.

Den sighed. It was going to be a long night.

He wondered what Sidonie was up to. Her word was good and he knew she would return, but she didn’t say when. His father grunted and shifted in the chair as his mother walked back and forth and he knew the lecture was about to begin.

His mother told him that he was going to get hurt as an officer and while he knew that was a possibility, he had done everything he could to prevent himself from getting injured. It wasn’t always an option to play it safe, his career called for him to rush in where others would rush out.

And that was part of what he loved about it. He got the chance to feel like a superhero even if he was only human.

He got the chance to help other people with their problems, to make sure that people could feel protected.

It was a good fit for him, in a way the farm never could be.

He could run the farm with his eyes closed. It was a lot of work, but he knew it like the back of his hand, knew it the same way he could break down and clean his weapon with his eyes closed.

He knew how to fix every broken part on any tractor on the property. He knew how to rotate the fields for the next ten years off the top of his head.

But that wasn’t the life he envisioned for himself, not even now, when he was faced with his own mortality. His arm ached and he wanted to push the button for more meds, but he wouldn’t do it. Not with his folks hovering around him and fearful for his wellbeing.

There was a soft knock on the door and when it opened, Sidonie popped in. His heart started racing before he knew it and the monitor picked up the faster pace with a beep.

“Hey. Sorry it took so long.”

“Come here.”

She walked to the side of his bed and he wished the arm on that side didn’t hurt so much so he could rub her balled up fists.

Sidonie looked down at him. “When was the last time you took your meds?” She knew him all too well for someone who had only been around for a month.

“I haven’t.”

She huffed. “You’re a blockhead.” She pushed the button to release the pain medication.

Within seconds, he relaxed and his troubles drifted away. He was still awake, but not truly aware.

He looked at the twinkle in Sidonie’s eyes and wanted to feel her warmth.
Was him, or was it cold in here?
“Will you lay down with me?” he asked her and she flushed.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Den.”

“But you’re so purr-tyy.” He heard the slur in his words, but he found he didn’t care.

Sidonie laughed. “Thanks, hon, but I don’t think your parents want to watch us cuddle on your tiny bed.”

“They won’t care… Ask em.” He chuckled.

“Go to sleep, Den.”

“Never! Unless you come to bed with me.”

“Uh, how about you just rest for a minute and then I’ll get in when I put on my PJ’s.” He knew she humored him, but he was serious.

“Then gimme a kiss.” She chuckled, but dropped her lips to his and gave him a stingy peck that she ended with a buss on his nose.

“Your Pa and I are going to grab something to eat. We drove straight through to get here and didn’t stop, except to gas the RV.”

“Y’all can stay at my place if you want. Sidonie made chili,” he mumbled, although he had no idea why he’d made the offer, even though it came out of the blue.

“That chili is four days old, Den.”

“So? Still good,” he muttered. It was. He had planned on having a bowl when he got off work that night.

Sidonie shook her head.

“I’ll be back.” She rubbed her fingers over his, gently enough that he about didn’t feel the touch at all.

“Where you headed?”

She chuckled. “To the bathroom, if you can stand me being away that long.”

“Nope,” he groused.

“Too bad.”

She disappeared and he heard the water turn on, but that was all he remembered, despite the fact that he struggled to stay awake.

Before his eyes closed, he looked at his mother. “Momma?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Don’t let her leave.”

“I won’t.” The other woman chuckled as he drifted away.

When he came to, he had an odd urge to pee. It was odd because he hadn’t had to in what seemed like forever. But he lifted the blanket with his decent hand and realized Anna must have removed the catheter while he was drifting in and out at some point.

He tried to sit up, but that was a struggle.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” He looked over and realized Sidonie was still at his bedside.

“Gotta piss.”

“Oh, yeah. Anna took out the catheter. You can get up and go to the bathroom or I can bring you a bed pan.”

Those weren’t really choices, as he had zero desire to use a bed pan.

“Help me up.”

She got up and shuffled over to the other side of the bed, where all of the IV’s hung and she slid them away. Then she lowered the bed with the remote.

“Okay. I’m going to help you, but I’m not as strong as you, okay? So it’s going to take some work.”

“Please.”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

It took almost three minutes to get him upright and standing and another two to shuffle at a snail’s pace to the bathroom door. She got him in front of the toilet.

“Think you can aim?”

“I can try,” he muttered.

“I’ll help.” She lifted the front of the gown and grabbed his penis.

Yeah, it was a penis. No way was the pitiful thing a cock at the moment.

She held it over the basin. “Go for it.”

He did, and cursed a blue streak. “Fuck! That burns like hell!”

“I bet. Shouldn’t be so bad the next time though. Do you need to do anything else?”

“You askin’ if I have to shit?”

She flushed. “Yes, actually I am.”

“No,” he grumbled.

“Want to brush your teeth?”

He rubbed his tongue over his teeth and the buildup told him he had to. “I guess.”

She grabbed a brush from the sink and spread a dollop of paste. “You okay to do it for yourself?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled, he should be able to do at least that.

“Okay. I’m just going to stand here with you. Then we can go back to bed.”

“What time is it?”

“Sevenish.”

“Can I have the real time?”

“Yeah, when you take your sorry attitude back into the other room we can check together.”

“Sorry, Sid.”

“Hm,” she mumbled.

But she never left his side. Instead, she placed her arm around his chest and helped him to stand upright in front of the sink. His hip was in major pain and the fact he burned himself pretty badly on the asphalt had not helped the situation any.

When he brushed his furry tongue and teeth, Sidonie helped him drag the IV back to the bed. It took him longer to get back in than to climb out it seemed. Eventually, she nudged and tugged until he was positioned perfectly.

She pulled out her phone and he watched as she sent off a text message.

Who was she talking to?

“Who’s that?” he asked, trying to remove the hint of sarcasm he felt, but it didn’t sound totally successful.

“Really? You know my kids are about to go to school this morning. The least I can do is check on them.”

“Sorry.” He was being an ass, but Den hated the hospital and doctors for that matter.

It wasn’t that hospitals were unnecessary, but he hated being a patient. He had a fear of needles to begin with and he didn’t like the sight of his own blood. Others he could handle. But seeing his own made him want to vomit.

He looked over and realized his parents were nowhere to be found.

“Where did Ma and Pa go?”

“They took you up on your offer and are at your house. Your mom said she was going to clean up, because she knew that you likely hadn’t. Your dad said he was hungry enough to eat a rattlesnake that he caught with his own two hands.”

“Pa said all of that?” His dad wasn’t famous for having too many conversations. He said little, and let his actions speak for him.

“Yeah. We had a nice conversation. You have really awesome parents. They’re kind of an odd couple, but somehow it works.”